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Susan Dennard is a writer, reader, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. Her debut novel, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, will be available from HarperTeen on July 24th, 2012. You can learn more about her on her blog or twitter.

Intimidating is exactly the word, Judy! The first time I had to do this for (The Spirit-Hunters) it took me FOREVER. :) But then after all these workshops/guides, I realized the key is to highlight turning point events. The next synopsis I wrote was only an hour ordeal!

Stories with more than one resolution — I’m not entirely sure what you mean here. If you can specify, I can try to help… Do you mean multiple endings? Or resolutions for multiple POVs?

Non-linear plots — Admittedly, this worksheet would be trickier for that. :) The key is the same, though: find the main events and/or main turning points.

If you can boil your story down to the critical components (i.e. the story simply would not exist without these scenes), then you can build your synopsis around that. Even a plot as non-linear and complex as Pulp Fiction** has key events. Remember, though, to make this kind of synopsis work (and not be confusing for a reader) you’ve got to have very clear transition phrases!

**Wikipedia does a great job of summarizing the key events for Pulp Fiction while also transitioning between different sequences smoothly.

A non-linear plot is not simply a linear plot told in a non-linear way. I mean a story in which the resolutions of the major goals are achieved through the separate and simultaneous but unconnected actions of many characters. All are needed but none are sufficient, nor do any of these actors know about the other actors.
One character, the main protag, comes among them on a minor mission, and sets them all in motion simply by being there. The main protag is the only point of intersection for all the others, but not always in the same way.
There are at least two major goals, which divide the other characters into at least two groups, each of which consists of actors pursuing their own separate agendas. Each group’s resolution can only occur if they interact, which can only happen by means of the main protag, who does not otherwise do anything at all.

Trying to describe this sort of plot feele like tracing the seams of a soccer ball until you get to the end.

I see what you’re saying, but that doesn’t sound like a non-linear plot to me so much as a multi-thread plot (a là CRASH or even PARIS JE T’AIME). A multi-thread plot could be non-linear as well.

In a multi-thread story, you would still have to isolate the most critical events that lead to the resolution — you’ve only got 1 page, right? :) IF YOU CAN’T (like you couldn’t isolate critical events in Paris Je T’aime), then you would have to pick the plot threads you’re most interested in sharing — the threads that give the tone of your story and illustrate the story’s purpose best.

Maybe I’m still misunderstanding, though. Can you give me an example the sort of story you mean? A book or movie?

I have linear multithread plot in my second novel, A Warrior Made. Unfortunately, with the exception of my third novel, St. Martin’s Moon, which hasn’t come out yet, I don’t have an example of the a Catalyst story, which is the name I gave to the type of story I’m describing. The problem is that I have to mention them all, leave out any one plot thread and the whole story fails.

And your editors will want them too! I had to scramble to get a synopsis written for the sequel to THE SPIRIT-HUNTERS (for editors interested in buying the whole series). I followed this formula, and my agent declared the result “perfect”. :D

Me too, Sierra! In fact, I wrote one for THE SPIRIT-HUNTERS before writing the book, and though the book changed a gazillion times (so many drafts!), the synopsis was still the same! Since the main external plot never changed, I never needed to write a new synopsis! :)

Thanks for this – really useful! Especially as I am trying to write a one-page synopsis for a book I’ve just started, and don’t really know where everything will fall yet – I think I was supposed to see this today! :-)

Thanks you for such a great post! I haven’t started writing a synopsis yet, since I’m just beginning to edit my novel, but I was already dreading it! This post helps me feel a little better about trying it!

Hey there!
Thanks for a great and useful post. I am happy to report that I just tried it and it worked! It was so much easier than the usual poke-your-eyes-out-with-a-blunt-instrument-torture of writing a synopsis. I will be sending readers your way!
Ali

I was given your website address by the local office of the Australian Writers’ Guild as a place I might find what I’m looking for.
I’m obviously an Australian, not quite a first-time writer, but, close, and what’s happened is that my latest feature script has generated some positive feedback here, but to be honest, I’d rather have someone, be it a Producer, Director, or whatever, operating out of LA, with some proven ability to get bigger budget ‘actioners’ made, take on my project … in a ‘perfect’ world.
I now have some people, who ‘know’ people in Hollywood, apparantly, who are willing to take a look at my script, but before they read it, they first want to read its synopsis, which is a bit of a problem, because I haven’t really written one.
I started off with a general overall story bouncing around in my head, I played around with it, and finally wrote the script.
What I was hoping to do is find some website somewhere where I might be able to see examples of synopsis, written by Hollywood professionals of actual ‘actioners’ like ‘Clear and Present Danger’, ‘Body of Lies’ or ‘The Shooter’, ones like that, that I can recall in my head, while reading the synopsis …. Can you point me in the right direction ???
Can you help me find examples like your ‘Star Wars’ synopsis, which is pretty damn good, but, as I said, for other ‘actioners’ if at all possible … I’m trying to understand just how well written these ‘industry’ standard synopsis are, and, in some way, use the better examples as a bit of a blue-print for my own, as of yet, un-written synopsis.
I’d be most grateful to you guys if someone might be able, and willing to help me out.
And also, while I’m talking to other writers, do you guys know how to ‘plug into’ the Hollywood ‘who knows who’ network, in order to get scripts read, noticed, or at least, get ideas heard and discussed???

Anyway guys, I very much look forward to hearing back from you, with perhaps some ‘pearls of wisdom’ … I’ll be most grateful.

Hi Peter, I’m afraid we’re all novelists–screenplays aren’t really in our realm of knowledge. With regards to the Hollywood-connection though, I *do* know that the usual piece of advice is: Move to LA. It’s such a cutthroat biz, you have to live there, start small, and work up. This advice is from a former Hollywood agency assistant (married to one of our members). I’m sorry I can’t offer more info. This just isn’t an area in which I work… Good luck, though! And congrats on the interest!

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